Wire-fabric armor-plate



c. ZEGLEN.

WIRE FABRIC ARMOR PLATE.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE7, 1917.

Patented Apr. 26,1921.

UNITED s'rivrissA jcssmria. zneLEN, or CLEVELAND, omo.

WIRE-FABRIC ARMOR-PLATE.

' Armor-Plates, yof which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to a' wire fabric armor tplate and process of producing the same,

tary purposes such for example, for the construction of warl vessels, armored cars,

' shields for 'guns and otherapparatus, breast-v plates and the like. l

The principal object of the invention is to produce a wire fabric plate which is strong,

not easily penetrated by a projectile, and which for a given resistance to penetration is light. in weight.

`In carrying out my invention I utilize' a multiply woven fabric which is impregnated with molten metal and is preferably rolled to produce a substantially solid plate. This fabric is formed of metal wires and can be made in any thiclmess or with an given number of plies, the number of p ies, the

closeness of weave, the thickness of the weft and warp wires formin the'same, and the materials from which t e wires are yformed depending on the thickness'of the ultimate plate to be produced and the *particular use for which it is designed.

The invention may be further briefiiy summarized as consisting in certain novel details of construction and in -certain novel steps of the'improved method which will be described in the s eciication and set forth in the"app`en'ded aims.. j

In the accompanying sheet of drawing, Figure 1 is a plan view with part broken away showing a plate Vmade in accordance with my invention; Fig'. 2-is a cross sectional view substantially along the line 2-2 of Fig. 1; and Fig. 3 is a similar view showin aplate employing a woven fabric compos of a less number of plies and Aof smaller wire than illustrated in Fig. 2.

In making my improved 'armor plate which may be used for a variety of purposes such as mentioned above, I emplo -what I term a multiply woven fabric ma e out of metal wires to give the plate its great strength and resistance to penetration b projectiles. The form of fabric which prefer to employ is clearly illustrated in Speoication cf Letters Patent.

Application led June 7., 1917. Serial No. 173,261'.

e product being adapted for mili- Figs. and 3, this fabric consisting of a4 number of layers of weft or filling wires 10 and warp wires 11, which are looped aroun, the weft wires and extend back and forth diagonally from one surface of the fabric to the other. The weft wires extend in straight parallel lines while the warp wires are bent and woven or looped. around ther straight weft wires. To produce a fabric of) this kind it is essential that the war Patented Apr.`2f6,.1921.'

wires be readily flexed or bent, while thisl quality or.characteri'stic is not required of the. weft wires inasmuch as they extend in straight lines. I therefore prefer to employ for the weft wires, hard -material such as nickel-steel and for the warp wires, relatively soft material such as soft steel, nickel, copper or German silver, the more expensive material such as German silver being einployed whenl very strong, thin plates are to be produced, such for example, as may be used for the manufacture of breast-plates.

After the fabric is made it is impregnated or embedded in molten metal, this molten metal being preferably nickel-'steel, or other alloy from which plates used formilitary purposes are usually formed. This can be done in numerous ways, such for example, as immersing and then withdrawing the fabric' from the molten metal or by pouring the molten metal over the fa ric.

Next the impregnated or embedded fabric- I is rolled by passing the same a suitable number of times between rolls which roll the plate'sto the desired thickness, and at the saine time produce solid plates substantially free from openings or interstices.

This produces a plate which is exceedingly'strong and has very great resistance to penetration by shells, and for a given degree of strength and certain resistance to lpenetration it is lighter. in weight than lany armor plate heretofore produced of which I am aware.

The plates constructed in the manner' ably of smaller wire than the relatively f thick pltes.- AI may also, of course, va rrthe 'materiale' of'which the yWire is forme' the 'particular materiale .depending yupony 'thefrequired tensile strength and 4the re- *qnired 'resistance' to penetration. f Regard-y le'ssofthe number of plies of: which the f fabric is composed, it4r willr have the emile.k

general rstructurey orvr form;r yof weave, ther f weft wiresr extending in straight lines`r and ythe Warp Wiresr diagonally back and forth: immone surface' to' 'the'i otherfancl' being f 'looped around the surface ,weft wlres as show n.' For, exemple, in Fig. "2 I have f.

shownan armor plate containing ay woven fabric of tenplies, and in Fig. 3 an ermorf #plate rcontaining 'al Woven ,fabric of ythreey plies.- It'will be observed that the fabric.

suchL asfshowninrfFig. 3,'using relativelyff c f @small weft and warp wirese'closer'weave 1s r'heavierQrlaJYger wires. w f f f c I am. aware thatlieretofo're 'armor'plate Yhas been used'or proposed for use havmg a` rlvv'ire-:rnettin yor mesh embedded therein, and. f Ik am not c aiming' broadly the idealof yency'bedding a wirer mesh ory woven fabric kin ymately-13111;;I'believetitfis'nuev( with rme, to: f s f employ -a.-'multip1y'wove1i 'metal "fabric,r und;-

obtained thenr with c @fabricV vformed by 'what Igc aimeis:y

"II blil'it new alsoitofoiinfthebody 'ofi f, f f `theplate with a multiply wovenfabricyand Sui f f #fillf' the yintersticeas or 'spacesfaround yther f wires'with molten metal. l f, f, yWhileI have shown one form of weave or' one form.r of invention,fI do-not wish f f f to be confined to the precise details shown, ,35-

,and aim inmyfclaimeto cover all modifica tions Lvvhichf-fdoy rnot involve ,a f departure,

from they spirit and scopeiof my inventical` l Havm I. An armor plete'containing'ehliiilltipljT rrWoven',*vvire'fabric ycompo'sled of'relctivel ,l f

hard weft Wiresr andfrelatively soft .or 'lexl'-r f l' 2; An armor plateioinprising einltiily i woven metal fabricfwlth itsk interstlces fi ed rwith metalysavidffabric consietin r'oflayers f f f of; reletivelyhard weft wires an relatively ysoft yor yiexible rwar wires -flooped amunlr .the :weft iWires en l rextending v-`diagonally vf f through ythe fabric.

my signature. f.

, thusy ydescbedy myy invention7 f y' 

